Houthis target Red Sea gateway as Yemen conflict intensifies

Iran-backed Houthi forces launched a ground offensive against the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen’s southwest on Thursday, targeting elevated terrain and key ports to secure the Bab el-Mandeb Strait. The push follows the collapse of a truce in July and has resulted in significant casualties on both sides, with the AFP news agency tallying 129 deaths as of Friday.

The offensive is part of a broader strategy to improve the Houthis’ strategic position in the region. By targeting ports and high ground held by Saudi-led forces, the militia aims to solidify its control over the waterway where the Red Sea meets the Gulf of Aden. The strategic importance of the strait has increased in recent months due to restrictions on traffic through the Strait of Hormuz.

Shelling and artillery fire have forced hundreds of families to flee the coastal cities of Hodeidah and Mokha. Fighting has been particularly fierce on Mount al-Numan, which overlooks Mokha, a port currently controlled by Saudi-led forces. Exchanges of fire, including rockets and drones, were reported in the southwestern provinces of Taiz and Hodeidah.

The Houthis have declared a blockade on ships approaching the west coast of Saudi Arabia, though military sources note they are not ideally placed or equipped to fully enforce the measure. Despite this, they have fired on several commercial vessels, causing severe damage and deaths in some cases. The blockade adds to existing impediments for access to Saudi Arabia’s eastern ports via the Strait of Hormuz.

Yemen has been in a state of civil war for almost exactly 12 years. The Houthis currently control the capital, Sanaa, and the major western port of Hodeidah, while Saudi-led forces hold large chunks of the country’s southwestern tip. A period of comparative calm broke down in July amid broader regional tensions involving Iran in the Gulf.

Mohammed al-Basha of the US-based risk advisory Basha Report told AFP that the Houthis are moving to capture Bab el-Mandeb or Mokha port to improve their negotiating position with the government and the Saudis. Casualty figures remain estimates, with DPA citing dozens of losses on both sides and AFP providing a more precise estimate of roughly 60 on either side.